Seriously I know how you feel. Sometimes I feel like my kid is mentally retarded after reading some of the things other kids can do, but he can't. For example he STILL hardly talks while it seems like there are 2 week old infants speaking in fullÂ sentences! LOL.I have checked with his doctor and read up on this milestone of course and they all haveÂ differentÂ things to say about it. His Dr says he MUST have 5 words by 2 years that he uses consistently andÂ appropriately. Â So far he will say Momma and Dog and correctly use them, but all his other words are hit and miss. He does communicate really well. I am to the point now that I just can't hear any more "advice" from anyone else on how to get him to talk. He is fine and will get to it at his own pace. I keep hearing story after story about how I am too responsive to his needs and he doesn't have to talk to get what he wants, or that I need to talk to him more ( crazy if you knew how much I talk to him). I know in my heart that I am doing everything right and that he really will be fine, but it is hard not to second guess when you hear how much more advanced other kids the same age are. ~sigh~ I guess this response turned into more of a rant. sorry!!Â

Seriously I know how you feel. Sometimes I feel like my kid is mentally retarded after reading some of the things other kids can do, but he can't. For example he STILL hardly talks while it seems like there are 2 week old infants speaking in fullÂ sentences! LOL.I have checked with his doctor and read up on this milestone of course and they all haveÂ differentÂ things to say about it. His Dr says he MUST have 5 words by 2 years that he uses consistently andÂ appropriately. Â So far he will say Momma and Dog and correctly use them, but all his other words are hit and miss. He does communicate really well. I am to the point now that I just can't hear any more "advice" from anyone else on how to get him to talk. He is fine and will get to it at his own pace. I keep hearing story after story about how I am too responsive to his needs and he doesn't have to talk to get what he wants, or that I need to talk to him more ( crazy if you knew how much I talk to him). I know in my heart that I am doing everything right and that he really will be fine, but it is hard not to second guess when you hear how much more advanced other kids the same age are. ~sigh~ I guess this response turned into more of a rant. sorry!!Â

Unless the pediatrician sees a huge problem, I wouldn;'t worry about the way your child is developing. All children are different and are growing up in different environments and around different tyoes of people, so of course when you discuss toddler development with others, you get different levels because some babies are exposed to one thing and others to another. Eventually, as long as there is no underlying health issue, all children will be on the relatively same level. I feel my daughter is smart (I am bias of course :) and every since she was an infant she has always done things on her own time from crawling late at 9.5 months old to walking late at 16 months old and I was never worried, even when everyone questioned and commented. But I have discovered that she is a talker and catches on to things quickly as I did when I was younger, however, my sister who was born two years after me rarely spoke to anyone and kept to herself and her daughter was similar to her. It is all about the child and what they are willing to do, they all learn differently because they are different and they will do things on their own tme.

Unless the pediatrician sees a huge problem, I wouldn;'t worry about the way your child is developing. All children are different and are growing up in different environments and around different tyoes of people, so of course when you discuss toddler development with others, you get different levels because some babies are exposed to one thing and others to another. Eventually, as long as there is no underlying health issue, all children will be on the relatively same level. I feel my daughter is smart (I am bias of course :) and every since she was an infant she has always done things on her own time from crawling late at 9.5 months old to walking late at 16 months old and I was never worried, even when everyone questioned and commented. But I have discovered that she is a talker and catches on to things quickly as I did when I was younger, however, my sister who was born two years after me rarely spoke to anyone and kept to herself and her daughter was similar to her. It is all about the child and what they are willing to do, they all learn differently because they are different and they will do things on their own tme.

It is so hard not to compare your child to other people's. But keep in mind that parent's typically brag about what there child does well, and they neglect to mention the areas in which they are lagging. For example: my daughter is a visual learner and is very verbal. She loves reading and doing flash cards. I will admit I have bragged about the things she can identify. But on the other hand her physical skills aren't nearly as developed as some of her peers. She can't jump, or do somersaults, and is still quite clumsy. Sometimes she has a hard time getting her legs situated so she can sit in her little chair the right way. Children work on what they need to, when they need too. So a child that excels in one area is typically a little behind in others. But it all levels out when they master one skill and move on. And not that anyone would ever do this, but parents have been know to stretch the truth when it comes to their LO's abilities ;)

It is so hard not to compare your child to other people's. But keep in mind that parent's typically brag about what there child does well, and they neglect to mention the areas in which they are lagging. For example: my daughter is a visual learner and is very verbal. She loves reading and doing flash cards. I will admit I have bragged about the things she can identify. But on the other hand her physical skills aren't nearly as developed as some of her peers. She can't jump, or do somersaults, and is still quite clumsy. Sometimes she has a hard time getting her legs situated so she can sit in her little chair the right way. Children work on what they need to, when they need too. So a child that excels in one area is typically a little behind in others. But it all levels out when they master one skill and move on. And not that anyone would ever do this, but parents have been know to stretch the truth when it comes to their LO's abilities ;)

The material on this website is provided for educational purposes only and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, or in place of therapy or medical care. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make choices about online behavioral advertising, please click here